The present work was focused in the study of mitochondrial function during sepsis. Moreover, was evaluated the properties of melatonin against mitochondrial failure during sepsis.
The objectives of this research were:
1. To determine the mitochondrial bioenergetics in liver and heart of mice at early and late phases of sepsis.
2. To identify mitochondrial substrate-dependent behavior during septic process in these tissues.
3. To assess the protective effect of melatonin administration to mice on mitochondrial function of liver and heart of septic mice. 4. To evaluate the mechanistics effects of melatonin on mitochondria using different substrate combinations in liver and heart of septic mice.The present thesis reports on the study of mitochondrial function (of 3 mo. C57BL/6 mice) in liver and heart mouse at 8 and 24 h of sepsis induction by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Mainly, mitochondrial function was evaluated assessing mitochondrial respiration by high resolution respirometry (HRR). Other bioenergetic parameters including cytochrome a + a3, b, and c + c1 content, mitochondrial mass, and mitochondrial supercomplexes (SC) formation, were analyzed. Regarding to an effective treatment, we assess melatonin, a recognize molecule with important pleiotropic functions.